Car hits crowd on the Copacabana waterfront in Rio | World News

Driver arrested after an eight-month-old baby and 15 people injured in an apparent accident

Witnesses said the vehicle hit many people before stopping at Copacabana beach. Photography: PERSONAL / Reuters

A speeding car crashed on a crowded promenade on Copacabana beach in Rio on Thursday in an apparent accident, killing an eight-month-old baby and injuring 15 people, police said.

Wounded people lay on the pavement, recalling the recent terrorist attacks of vehicles that they had cut off from pedestrians, but there was no indication that the Copacabana incident was deliberate.

The G1 news website reported that the driver fled the scene, but was quickly arrested by the police, said he had an epileptic fit, and drugs for epilepsy were found in the car.

Copacabana police confirmed the baby's death and said 15 wounded people were being treated at the hospital.

Witnesses said on the Globo News network that the car passed through a bicycle lane and crossed the promenade, hitting people and crashing between tables and chairs, before stopping in the sand on the beach. The wide screen broken and the roof dented indicated the force with which the vehicle hit people.

The Copacabana promenade is a favorite summer night outing for Rio residents and tourists who have begun arriving for carnival celebrations next month.